Tejano Conjunto Festival

The Tejano Conjunto Festival, which will enjoy its 37th annual incarnation this weekend, is a treasure among treasures in terms of its value as a cultural celebration that is true to the soul of San Anto. It’s also just a great chance to catch a whole bunch of fantastic performances from some of the finest tejano and conjunto artists in the game today. The festival kicks off Thursday with a Hall of Fame Gala, which will commemorate the induction of new members into the Conjunto Music Hall of Fame ($35, 6pm, Guadalupe Theater, 1301 Guadalupe St.). Then, on Friday, the real fun begins. With Juan Tejada, who founded and ran the Festival for its first 35 years, no longer in the driver’s seat — though he stills serves as an advisor to the folks at the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center who run the Festival — fans of tejano and conjunto music have nothing to fear in terms of the quality of this iconic event. Cristina Ballí, the executive director of the Guadalupe, serves as the festival director and has made sure that the festival continues to outdo itself. This year’s lineup includes musicians of all ages and from all over the world, a testament to the vitality and staying power of la música de la gente. Just a few of the acts that we are most looking forward to at this year’s festival include Flavio Longoria Conjunto Kings, Tony Tigre Saenz y la Rosa de Oro, Lazaro Perez y su Conjunto, Frankie Caballero, Los Texmaniacs, Eva Ybarra y su Conjunto, Flaco Jimenez y su Conjunto, and Desperadoz.